painting tub surround
#1
10-14-02, 08:17 AM
painting tub surround
good day,
I am looking for a way to paint my tub surround. I am moving into an apartment with a very old surround and it looks disgusting. A new surround is not an option right now. Any ideas?
thank-you,
Barb
I am looking for a way to paint my tub surround. I am moving into an apartment with a very old surround and it looks disgusting. A new surround is not an option right now. Any ideas?
thank-you,
Barb
#2
10-14-02, 03:36 PM
Member
Painting tub surround
Are you talking about the interior tub/shower surround? Paint tends not to be a durable option as it does not hold up well to the moisture and the chemicals in cleaning products. Why does your surround look disgusting? Is it soiled and/or stained? Perhaps a good cleaning and waxing would give it a new lease on life. If you are renting, your landlord may not approve of painting.
#3
10-24-02, 11:08 AM
This is something I did once and it came out really nice.
The tub surround was very old and scrubbed down to a papery surface in some parts so someting had to be done. It was a rental and I did not want to spend much money. So.. first I cleaned and then sanded the surface really well. Then I applied one coat of a quality oil based flat paint. Next I painted a mural (in this case it was a forest scene with fairies and unusual flowers). The mural really helped to hide the imprefections and uneven surfaces. Finally I covered it all with three coats of oil based varnish. I chose one with a yellow tint to add an aged look, if you want a clear covering check the labels carefully to be sure the varnish will not yellow. I finished it with new caulking around the tub and window.
It worked great. Cleaned easily and solved a mildew problem I was having with the surround before I painted it.
Take your time with this, make sure the surface is completely dry before applying each coat.
The tub surround was very old and scrubbed down to a papery surface in some parts so someting had to be done. It was a rental and I did not want to spend much money. So.. first I cleaned and then sanded the surface really well. Then I applied one coat of a quality oil based flat paint. Next I painted a mural (in this case it was a forest scene with fairies and unusual flowers). The mural really helped to hide the imprefections and uneven surfaces. Finally I covered it all with three coats of oil based varnish. I chose one with a yellow tint to add an aged look, if you want a clear covering check the labels carefully to be sure the varnish will not yellow. I finished it with new caulking around the tub and window.
It worked great. Cleaned easily and solved a mildew problem I was having with the surround before I painted it.
Take your time with this, make sure the surface is completely dry before applying each coat.
#4
01-03-09, 09:18 AM
Cool solution!
Originally Posted by debbirenec
This is something I did once and it came out really nice.
The tub surround was very old and scrubbed down to a papery surface in some parts so someting had to be done. It was a rental and I did not want to spend much money. So.. first I cleaned and then sanded the surface really well. Then I applied one coat of a quality oil based flat paint. Next I painted a mural (in this case it was a forest scene with fairies and unusual flowers). The mural really helped to hide the imprefections and uneven surfaces. Finally I covered it all with three coats of oil based varnish. I chose one with a yellow tint to add an aged look, if you want a clear covering check the labels carefully to be sure the varnish will not yellow. I finished it with new caulking around the tub and window.
It worked great. Cleaned easily and solved a mildew problem I was having with the surround before I painted it.
Take your time with this, make sure the surface is completely dry before applying each coat.
The tub surround was very old and scrubbed down to a papery surface in some parts so someting had to be done. It was a rental and I did not want to spend much money. So.. first I cleaned and then sanded the surface really well. Then I applied one coat of a quality oil based flat paint. Next I painted a mural (in this case it was a forest scene with fairies and unusual flowers). The mural really helped to hide the imprefections and uneven surfaces. Finally I covered it all with three coats of oil based varnish. I chose one with a yellow tint to add an aged look, if you want a clear covering check the labels carefully to be sure the varnish will not yellow. I finished it with new caulking around the tub and window.
It worked great. Cleaned easily and solved a mildew problem I was having with the surround before I painted it.
Take your time with this, make sure the surface is completely dry before applying each coat.
When painting near a bath or shower, you can add a mildewcide to the paint - I got a pack at the hardware store called "M-1," made by a company called Jomaps from GA. After thinking about a lot of alternatives, including using big sheets of plexiglass, I opted to just scrub and re-caulk. As for attempting to paint plastic, there is a paint that comes in cans especially for outdoor plastic furniture made by Krylon. I opted not to use this because of the paint mist getting on everything, but it does supposedly bond to the surface of the plastic, so there is no peeling. I've have some disasters in the past with products that look like a cool solution. The worst was a roll of plastic stripping that is supposed to function as caulk. Well, I put it on as described on the package, yet the glue was apparently water based and fell right off. Then the glue residue was impossible to remove.
As for the oil based paint and varnish - this sounds like a great solution. I accidentally spilled some oil based high gloss paint on my crappy tub surround, and it was impossible to remove. If there is no way for water to get behind the oil paint, I can't see a reason why it would peel.
